Hello, dear blog readers. Whew, it’s been quite a few days since I last posted. I think this will be my new thing from now on. No more hard core posting schedules for me thank you very much. Besides, when I do post it will be that much more special.

Speaking of special, I have a special trip coming up on Friday! You probably guessed it already. My friend, Carolyn and I are going to Beantown, a.k.a, Boston, Massachusetts.

This will be my first away-vacation I got to pick for myself in too many years to mention.

Not only that, but I will now not be able to sing the whole Veggie Tale’s song: The Pirate’s Who Don’t Do Anything. If you watch you will understand.

Here’s a few funny slogans I found for the state of Massachusetts:

“Massachusetts: Our Taxes Are Lower Than Sweden’s (For Most Tax Brackets)”

“Massachusetts: It’s Wicked!”

“Massachusetts: Now with 30% Fewer Kennedy’s!”

~Brian DiMattia~

“Massachusetts: Who Fahted?”

“Massachusetts:Washington’s Outhouse”

The thing I’m most looking forward to though is visiting Salem, Massachusetts. Home of the infamous Witch Trials.

Seriously, I am so excited I can barely contain myself. The history, the legends, the madness. It’s gonna be good.

I should have some totally awesome Boston pics to post when I get back, in any case.

Yay for Autumn!

Okay, if you’ve ever been curious about this mysterious world of writing I immerse myself in for ridiculous amounts of time, and why I always look so ragged while doing it–this video perfectly encapsulates what I go through on a daily basis during this process. (It’s funny and tragic and so true.)

Probably the hardest part is that the final stage of editing is exactly like the video portrays. This is why people are always asking me if they can read my work, and I’m just running around going, “It’s not finished! It’s not finished!”

That is yet another reason why I have utilized you, dear reader, to keep me accountable so I don’t go wandering around in the editing woods forever.

But until you get to read the completed work of my current endeavor–as promised, here is what I’ve been working on for the past two months.

The say there is nothing new under the sun, and I would heartily agree with that statement. However, you can take something that has been done before and add so many twists and turns to it that it becomes something that feels fairly new.

I have always been on the fence about George MacDonald’s tale, The Princess and the Goblin.

I watched a cartoon movie version of it when I was a kid and although I liked it, later in life I tried to read the actual story and couldn’t get into it.

It’s about two kids who battle against evil goblins, all the while growing up mentally and spiritually–discovering courage and finding faith in the unseen. Clearly, it’s a children’s book and maybe that’s why I always thought it could use a little more edge to it.

This is my edge.

For now, the working title of my story is:

Arco

Definition: arco (adverb or adjective) with the bow —usually used as a direction in music for players of stringed instruments.

Sadie Sullivan is a junior in a high school and a hopeful cellist. She has been attempting to learn the cello for a little over a year, in order to impress her crush and hopefully gain some cool points in the process. The thing is, Sadie isn’t good at the cello. At all. Currently her best and closest friend is her cousin, Charlie, who can easily take the ‘cool’ spotlight when he wants it. You can see how this would leave her in an awkward position.

One summer night Sadie is practicing her cello on her instructor’s mansion balcony when she sees some dark figures running through the gardens down below. This is the first sign that something suspicious might be happening in the picturesque town of Ruby Falls.

Later, Charlie drops Sadie off to pack up some things at her house. Sadie’s mom, (and only parent) is out of town on a business trip so Sadie is going to stay with her aunt and uncle for the week.

While she is packing, Sadie is kidnapped by two real, live goblins. In a fortuitous twist of fate, she manages to drag her cello underground with her but she is forced to leave it behind as the goblins carry her onward to their stronghold. The stronghold is currently packed with hundreds of other goblins all waiting orders from their ruthless Goblin Queen.

On her way to be interrogated and killed by the Queen, Sadie’s kidnappers are intercepted by Prince Kale, the Goblin Queen’s only son. For reasons of his own he helps her escape. She is, however, left to find her way out by herself after she flees the stronghold.

During her search she finds her cello again and unable to leave it behind takes it with her.

Now, I won’t tell you how or why it happens but through a series of unfortunate (or fortunate) events within this topsy turvy goblin underworld, Sadie ends up being merged with her cello. As part cello, she must learn to control and play the strings running through her body. And the music is different now. She is waaay better than good..

If you’ve read The Princess and the Goblin you know that George McDonald’s goblins can’t stand to listen to music, song or poetry. Now the goblins creeping around the town of Ruby Falls are well aware of the pervasive presence of 21st century music and have found easy ways to block it out.

Luckily for Sadie, her music is not ordinary and she swiftly finds herself in the middle of a longstanding war between the goblins and their milder, peaceful adversaries, the hobgoblins. As death, adventure and love unfold, Sadie begins to discover exactly who she is and what sort of stuff she’s been made of all along.

Aaaaand that’s it! There’s more work to be done but with any luck, and lots of persistance, I have high hopes that this story could be the one that makes it to print.

Okay, and just so you know I am taking a few days break from blogging after tonight. I’ve literally missed only one day in 101 days of blogging and my brain needs to recharge.

Have a great Tuesday and I’ll be back soon!